Robber Of Teens Gets 30 Years In Prison

A man convicted of robbing two teenagers at gunpoint received a 30-year prison sentence Thursday.

Jaime Marquez, 19, faced life in prison.

Circuit Judge Stephen Rushing said the sentence will keep the community safe from Marquez, while still allowing the second chance at life his parents tearfully pleaded for Thursday morning.

A jury found Marquez guilty of armed robbery in January in connection with a stickup from last August. It's alleged that Marquez and his accomplice, Jerae Crussell, climbed the lookout tower at Linda Pedersen Park in Hernando Beach and robbed a teenage couple chatting at the top.

The victims identified Marquez as the one who racked the slide on the gun and pointed it at them.

On Thursday, Marquez's parents made an emotional appeal for Rushing to spare their son from life in prison. Angel Marquez said he wasn't asking for the judge to dismiss the seriousness of the crime, but to consider Marquez's future.

"All I'm asking is for a second chance for my son," he said.

Marquez was on house arrest at the time for a separate robbery, a point that was not lost on Assistant State Attorney Don Barbee. Barbee told Rushing in court that his parents had made the same tearful plea before the last sentencing.

Their promises to help Marquez abide by the house arrest guidelines earned him a lighter sentence as a youthful offender.

"Jaime Marquez was given an opportunity to straighten his life out but he failed to do that," Barbee said. "Now it's time to protect the community from Mr. Marquez."

For violating the terms of his community control, Marquez received 10 years in prison, with a concurrent five years in prison. That's in addition to the 20-year sentence he received for his role in the robbery; 10 years of that sentence is mandatory.

Crussell pleaded no contest before his trial date and received five years in prison, court records show.